This Hopeless War
by vivianquills
Summary: Cousins Mitchie and Alex are sent off to boarding school together. Along with Justin, the Gray brothers, Miley, and their other roommate, Jessica. Follow their lives, love, friendship, and drama. NALEX/SMITCHIE/JILEY/JASONxOC.
1. Alex Leaves Home

**Disclaimer:** **I do not own WOWP, or any of the characters. I do not own Camp Rock or any of the characters. Though, that would be a pretty sweet birthday gift. Just saying. Haha.**

**MUST READ: In this story, the Russo's are just a normal family. They still have the sub shop. They still live above it. Same personalities and relationships. Even some of the same past experiences I might mention throughout the story. Just no magic. Kay?**

Alex sighed as she stared up at her ceiling. She was lying face up on her bed and hadn't moved for the past few minutes. Sure, she would pass it off as her just being mad at her parents. After all, who just springs that sort of thing on their daughter over breakfast? That is the kind of thing you go out and take her shopping and then tell her while you are enjoying some ice cream from a fancy little shop. But the truth of the matter was, Alex was trying not to cry. After all, she was supposed to be tough, cold, unfeeling, and sarcastic. But here she was, about to break down in tears. How could they do this to her? She was happy here. She was happy with the way things were. She liked waking up in the morning, throwing some sarcastic comment at her brother only to have him come back with some witty comment about her intelligence. She liked coming down the stairs to her mom's homemade breakfast, grabbing her school bag and heading off with Max and Justin to the school. She loved seeing Harper when she got there and listening to the girl's strange comments about who knows what. That was her life. How dare they decide one day to change it?

Of course, from her parents side of view, it was all a good change. After all, this was the most prestigious boarding school in the world. They didn't seem to think it was all too much of a problem that it was in England. About two weeks ago, Theresa had gotten a call from her twin sister, Connie, her family had come into some money recently and was sending their daughter off to boarding school. And they would just love to have Justin and Alex come along (Max was still too young). For some reason that Alex just couldn't see, her parents had agreed.

There was a soft knock on her bedroom door, and then she heard it slowly open. Alex let out a sigh, still holding her tears in, and then rolled over to see Justin standing there. "You okay?" he asked her, with that uncommon brotherly concern dripping from every syllable.

"Yeah. Just a bit of a shock. I'm fine." She was too upset to even think up something rude or sarcastic to say to him, which was how she normally answered him, even when he was concerned for her.

"Plane leaves tomorrow," he said coming to sit on the edge of the bed and look down at his sister. "Did you need any help getting packed?" She wanted to say no. She wanted to be alone. She wanted to not pack, and not have to face the fact that she was actually leaving. But, she knew that she really did need the help. So, the two spent the rest of the afternoon packing up the stuff she needed to take with her. It was an unusual amount of time spent together, especially without any fighting or name calling involved, but it was nice. They shared one of those rare brother sister moments that they had once every few years.

That night, Alex had plans with Harper. Of course, she hadn't known when she had made them that it would be the last night the two had together before Alex was shipped off by her parents. She was supposed to be helping her best friend pain the walls of her bedroom. See, Alex was an artist, and a mighty good one at that. She was a bit out of sorts when she got to Harper's house. She didn't really know how to tell her best friend that she was leaving. So instead, she just listened to Harper's idle chatter for a few hours while she got to work painting a giant mural on one of the walls. It was a painting of her and Harper together, all done up like they had been for Alex's anti-prom/zombie prom. They had both been wearing tattered dresses and zombie makeup. It had been a pretty fun night. After Alex had finished painting, she turned to look at Harper with tears in her eyes.

"Alex," Harper said in shock. After all, she had never seen the girl cry before. "What's wrong?"

"Harper," Alex mumbled miserably, "you know how school starts on Monday?" Harper just nodded, not understanding why Alex would be crying over that. Sure, she didn't like school, but crying was a bit extreme for a normal person, for Alex it was unheard of. "I won't be going with you."

"Alex, what are you talking about?"

"My parents are shipping me off half way across the world for boarding school with my stupid cousin and a bunch of spoiled rich brats." And with that, Alex broke into full on sobs. Harper ran over to her and pulled her into a tight hug.

"You'll be back next summer," she said. It wasn't a question. It was just a statement; Pure, simple fact. And oddly, it was the most comforting thing Alex had heard all day.

They were at the airport. All the goodbye's had been said, and their parents had turned to go home after telling them where they should meet Connie and Mitchie. Alex stared at the bustling crowd in front of her and took a deep breath. Justin rested a hand on her shoulder before stating, "It'll be okay. You're a tough girl Alex. Let's go find Aunt Connie." And with that they made their way down to the gate.

Though Alex hadn't seen her aunt since she was five, it was simple enough to recognize her. The woman looked exactly like Alex's mother. Next to her stood a girl a little shorter than Alex. She had a deep tan and dark hair, but there was something so naïve and needy that showed through her eyes that made Alex instantly get the feeling the two of them would not be getting along very well. Mitchie looked…. well, needy was really the only word for it. The girl looked almost as if New York fashion week had puked all over her, and Alex knew that the second the family had come into money, Mitchie must have gone out shopping. Too bad she looked too much like she was trying to fit into high class, and not so much like she had her own sense of style. "Hi," Mitchie said in an excited voice, "I'm your cousin Mitchie. We've met, but it's been years. Isn't this so exciting?" The girl really should work on breathing while speaking.

"Not really," Alex said in a rude tone, and sat down in a seat, putting her head phone's into her ears and turning her iPod on as loud as she could. This was going to be a long plane ride, and a long year.


	2. Jason Is Back

**Disclaimer: I do not own Camp Rock, WOWP, or any of the characters.**

**MUST READ: Obviously, the boys do not have the same rock star lives as they do in camp rock. They are brothers, their last name is Gray, and Nate and Shane have the same sort of personalities generally. That is about all that is the same though. Also, sorry this chapter is so short. I will have the next one up tonight though, so don't fret.**

It wasn't easy being Jason Gray. Oh sure, you might think that being the oldest son to the duke of Bedford would be all fun and games, but you would be horribly wrong. After a whole summer of running around behind his father, attending public events, and being proper and polite, Jason couldn't be more excited to go back to Hanover Prep. It was his senior year, and that meant that after nine months, he would never be going back. He would suffer through another summer, attend some prestigious college, not for any real purpose, but for good looks. And then he would live his father's life. It would be all business, all appearances, all formalities, and nothing that he wanted. He even had to get approval on who he could marry, can you believe that? The whole prospect of his future was none to appealing to him, and Jason no doubt had a bit of a Peter Pan, never grow up, sort of complex.

Jason threw the last of his bags into the trunk of the limo. Of course, that was what the driver was supposed to do, but he was sick of having everything done for him. The boy liked to accomplish things for himself, even if it was just putting his own bags in the trunk. "SHANE, NATE, HURRY UP. CAR'S LEAVING IN FIVE MINUTES," he yelled, mostly because he knew his father hated when he did that. It just wasn't proper for the eldest son of the duke to be bellowing at his brothers.

The first of his brothers out the door was the youngest of the three, Nathan. He may have been the youngest, but he was by far the most responsible. It was funny, in most families, the youngest brother always got compared to the older brother, but in this family, Jason was the one always being asked by his father why he couldn't be more like Nate. The boy's curly hair bounced as he came down the stairs. Nate walked with a hurried pace, but it never seemed like he was rushing or late, just sort of…. official and important. It was early in the morning, but Jason's youngest brother looked well put together, and the driver instantly went up to grab his bags, receiving a nod in thanks from Nate, who then got in the back of the car and pulled out his cell phone.

A few seconds later, Shane followed out of the large house. Shane was the middle brother, and only a year younger than Jason. Shane had the wonderful ability of being right in the middle, and therefore, nearly invisible when it came to their father. Of course, Shane probably didn't see it as so wonderful, but he had no idea what their father was like when he had expectations. Shane was a glorified ass hole. He also had the middle child problem of constantly acting out to be seen. He went to parties, he flaunted his money, he used women. As the years had worn on, Shane had distanced himself from anyone that meant anything to him, including his brothers. But from time to time, he would just share a knowing look with them. That knowing look that they all shared when it came down to their father. Jason and Nate were the only ones who ever saw that pain flash through his eyes, then they would share a nod, and all go about their business as if Shane had never even glanced their direction.

Jason let out a sigh as he thought about his brothers. Neither of them would probably admit it, but his life was the hardest of the three. Nate was everything their father had wanted in a son, he was only a disappointment in that he had had the lack of judgment to be born last. Shane had no expectations at all, he just slid right under the radar. He got yelled at a few times when he brought bad press to the family, but other than that, he could do what he pleased. When they finished school, their lives could go wherever they wanted them to, but Jason's had been chosen for him, and it was nothing that he wanted.

Then, he climbed into the back of them limo with them. When the doors shut, and the car started moving, there was silence until they had arrived at the large campus of Hanover Prep. Then Nate finally set his cell phone down, which he was probably using to email all sorts of business and government people in high standings that he had made friends with since a young age, and looked up, flashing a wide smile. Jason couldn't help but smile in return. "We're back," was all Nate said in an excited voice.

"We're home," Jason said simply, smiling at the large building that held the male dorms. And he was.


	3. Miley Meets Her Roommate

**Disclaimer: I do not own Camp Rock, WOWP or any of the characters. I also do not own Miley Cyrus, I just couldn't resist using her.**

**Author's Note: So, I would add another Must Read, but I think you get the drill by now. Miley obviously is not Hannah Montana or anything like that. I wanted her to have a long, fully, and royal sounding name that Miley was short for, but I only came up with Millicent, so deal. Haha. Anyways, I feel like I should let you know what is up with the format of this story. There are eight characters, and when you have finished this chapter, you will have met them all. There will be a chapter in each of their perspectives, and then it will repeat. At the bottom I am making a little character guide to help you keep them all straight. I will list them in the order I will write the chapters.**

Miley stared at the room in front of her. Her people had come ahead of time to set up her half of the dorm room and the whole place was decorated in a deep royal purple and white. She, however, had just gotten here. She knew the drill from having come here last year. Her and one other girl shared the large room she was standing in. It was then connected to another room just like it, with two more girls by a shared bathroom. Her people had also come and set up the bathroom. It really left the other girls no choice, and Miley had protested when her Grandma had insisted on doing it. But her Grandma said that if she was their first, she had the right to have the bathroom decorated by her people, and filled with her things. Her grandma had also said that she was probably the most important girl in the room.

Miley let out a groan as she thought about how her Grandma was always saying that. People got the impression that she was so stuck up because of the way her Grandma expected people to treat her. But, she always forgave her Grandma for being that way. After all, the woman had grown up expecting people to treat her like a Queen, since that was exactly what she was. Oh yes, Miley was really Princess Millicent Lizabette Stewart Grimaldi. She wasn't princess of any country like Britain, she was princess of the small country on Monaco. The interesting thing about the girl was that she didn't like being a princess for the wrong reasons, like most seventeen year old girls would. She hated that people expected her to be a brat. She hated expecting people to treat her special. What she loved was helping the people of her country. She got a thrill from the responsibilities of all those people counting on her. It was wonderful.

Miley heard the door open behind her, and spun to see a girl bent over, pulling her bags inside the room. She couldn't see the girls face because her long black hair had fallen in front of it. The girl was tall, not too tall, but still a bit taller than Miley, and she was thin, and had pale skin. In fact, Miley half expected her to look up and have deep red eyes, or eyes of topaz, but then, she had been reading too much Twilight lately. She sat quietly and waited while the girl pulled her bags into the room, and then finally, looked up. She started a little when she saw Miley standing there, and Miley watched as the pale girl mentally pulled herself together, and then looked into Miley's eyes. The girl had piercing blue eyes. But it was in a weird way. Most people whose blue eyes seemed so piercing had such a pale icy blue. This girl's were deep, deep, blue, and Miley found it a bit unsettling when it went along with the black hair falling in curls to her waste, and the pale skin. The girl didn't speak, just looked at Miley, obviously waiting for her to introduce herself first.

Miley might not be stuck up, but it was still odd to her to be treated that way. Most people had always recognized her on sight, that or had recognized her grandma. They introduced themselves, some bowed, needless to say it had never been up to her to make the first move, but those unsettling blue eyes that just looked at her and seemed to pierce right through her, well they were enough to make Miley want to break the ice. "Hello," she said, thinking English the best way to introduce herself, though most people accepted into this school could speak the major European languages fluently, and she could have probably used her native French. "You must be my roommate, I'm Millicent, but please never call me that. I go by Miley."

The girl paused for a moment, her head tilted slightly to the side as if taking her in, before answering "I'm Jessica." It was a simple two words, and she spoke in a meek sort of voice. It seemed almost deeply shy, which surprised Miley after the bold blue eyes had made such an impact. She had expected the girl to be more of a presence. Jessica didn't speak again, but cast a glance over to Miley's half the room, and then began to unpack her bags. She only had two with her, and Miley figured that she probably had a driver or something bring up the rest. Jessica's silence was too strange for Miley, and she excused herself, and left the room, stepping into the fresh air.

Unfortunately, she was at a loss of what to do next. So she simply walked to the door of the room that would be connected to the bathroom. She might as well meet the rest of the people she would be fighting for the shower with. Miley heard voices coming from the room, it sounded like fighting. Before she could change her mind, she quickly knocked on the door. Breaking up a fight was better than trying to break the awkward silence in her room at the moment. The voices stopped and the door swung open. The girl Miley saw standing in the door way was a bit of a shock. She was used to people here at Hanover being expensively dressed and lavish with their makeup and hair done to perfection. The girl standing in front of Miley was none of those things. She wore a cute outfit, granted, defiantly a unique sense of style, but all of it could have been picked up at a thrift store or made by hand. She wore no makeup, and had her hair thrown up in a messy bun. But the girl was pretty, it was undeniable. She stood about Miley's height, and had dark hair and dark eyes. It was obvious immediately that the girl had some Latino heritage. However, despite the fact that this girl didn't exactly fit in here, she stood tall and proud, with something defiant shining in her eyes.

For the second time that day, Miley felt herself being scrutinized by a girl that clearly was not going to introduce herself first, so she said, "Hi, I'm Miley. I'm in the room next to yours, we share a bathroom. I just thought I would come over and introduce myself."

"So all that purple crap in the bathroom is yours?" the girl asked, not even bothering to introduce herself. Well okay miss sour pants.

"Umm… yeah. Sorry about that, my Grandma had people come in early and set up my room and the bathroom. She is really bad about stepping on people's toes."

"Don't worry about it," came a voice, but it wasn't from the girl that had answered the door. It came from an excited voice past the girl standing in the door way, and soon a small girl had shoved her way into the doorway as well. "It's fabulous, I love it." The girl stood about a head shorter than Miley and the first girl. She had dark hair and a deep tan, and was dressed more like Miley would have expected from a Hanover student. Though, after the personal flair of the first girl, the second girl's outfit paled in comparison, despite the designer labels. "I'm Mitchie," she said in a bubbly and bright voice. She sounded a bit eager. "And this is Alex. Don't mind her, apparently she is always this mean. And I know who you are." Miley let out a sigh. As unsettling as Jessica and Alex's reactions to her had been, they had also been refreshing. It was nice to be unknown. "You're Princess Millicent."

Miley put on the best smile she could manage. "Miley," she corrected as nicely as she could. At the sound of her full name, Alex had let out a snort. Miley turned to look at her with a reproving glance, but she didn't even flinch or try to cover her rude manners. "Well, I had just come to introduce myself," she said after an awkward silence had passed. She stood there for a moment, not knowing exactly what to do. Alex didn't exactly seem welcoming, but Miley hardly wanted to go back to my room and face the awkward silence there. Because there, the awkward silence was accompanied by those piercing blue eyes.

"I was about to head to lunch," Mitchie said with an inviting smile, "would you like to come?" Eager to have something to fill the time with, Miley nodded quickly. She disappeared into the room to grab her purse. Alex shot me one last analyzing glance and then also disappeared into the room. Mitchie came back moments later and stepped out of the door shutting it behind her. We started to walk towards the Café on campus and Mitchie said, "Don't let Alex get to you. She treats everyone like that as far as I have noticed."

"You known her long?" Miley asked, trying to make conversation.

"Well, sort of. She's my cousin. Our moms are twins. But until two days ago, I hadn't seen her since we were five. My mom is paying for her and her brother to come here, and obviously it's not something she wants and she is taking it out on me. Plus, she isn't exactly fond of 'rich spoiled brats' as she says." Mitchie used air quotes and a slight mocking voice to imitate her cousin. "If you ask me, she's the brat around here. Not knowing what to say, Miley just smiled lightly.

The two of them reached the Café and ordered their food. Miley went first, and Mitchie got practically the same thing as her. The two found a table and sat down, eating their food and making idle conversation. A half hour later, they were done with their food and still sitting at the table laughing and getting along quite well. Miley was glad to have at least one comrade in the set of rooms. Of course, she hadn't really given Jessica a chance, but the girl was so different that it was unnerving. The Café was filled with students all catching up with old friends.

Just then, four boys walked in, and Miley recognized three of them. They were the Gray brothers. They were pretty well known around here; the sons of a duke, musically talented, and extremely attractive. Miley had actually dated the youngest one a few years back, only to break up with him for his older brother. Now, that might sound bad, but it really wasn't as bad as it seemed. When Miley was about fifteen, her family had began looking for a suitable husband for her. After all, she was the one and only heir to the thrown when her grandma died. The youngest of the Gray boys had seemed like a good choice, he was well into politics and very charismatic and diplomatic. But, after dating him for a while, she had realized he was just too serious for her. She found it boring. The middle Gray brother however, Shane his name was, well he was a different story. He was dangerous, and fun. She had dated him for a year, but although she had strong feelings for him, he was too caught up in his own problems to care about her and ended up treating her pretty badly. So they had broken up. Miley was over it, and though they weren't exactly going to have a movie night and tell each other their deepest secrets, they were still speaking.

However, today it was none of the Gray boys that caught her attention. It was the boy with them. He had black hair, messy and short, and grey eyes. He was hot. Enough said. The four boys paid for their food and then looked around for a table to eat at, but they were all full. "Hey Justin, over here," it was Mitchie's voice that called out. So, Miley thought to herself, Mitchie knew the boy. He saw her and smiled and then turned to the Gray brothers and said something. They looked over at the table, and Shane shot Miley an uncertain glance, but she smiled to let him know it was okay, and he nodded. They made their way over to the table.

"You know that guy?" she said softly to Mitchie before they got there.

"Yeah, that is Justin. Alex's brother."

* * *

**CHARACTER GUIDE:**

**Alex Russo- Seventeen, sophomore. Has the same family as in WOWP but is not a wizard. Same sarcastic, rude personality. Artist.**

**Jason Gray- Nineteen, senior. Oldest brother of the Gray boys. Son of Duke of Bedford. Is supposed to take over being Duke of Bedford. Doesn't want to. Trying to find himself. Guitarist.**

**Miley Grimaldi- Eighteen, junior. Princess of Monaco. Let's her grandma run her life and walk all over her. Wants to help people with her power. Ballet dancer.**

**Nate Gray- Seventeen, sophomore. Youngest of the Gray boys. Wishes he was the oldest because he actually wants to become the duke when his father retires or dies. Is very serious and political. Singer, guitarist.**

**Mitchie Torres- Seventeen, sophomore. Is a bit like Mitchie is in beginning of Camp Rock. Eager to fit in and be popular. Needs to find who she really is. Family just came into a lot of money. Singer.**

**Justin Russo- Nineteen, senior. Alex's older brother. Very academically talented, top of his class even here. Also a bit sarcastic, but mostly to Alex. He becomes a tutor. **

**Jessica Rich- Eighteen, junior. Is the opposite of her last name. Comes from a struggling family. Her mother is a talented singer and pianist, and is the new music teacher here. She doesn't tell people not because she is ashamed of being poor, but because she is ashamed of being totally tone deaf and nothing like her mother. Photographer.**

**Shane Gray- Eighteen, junior. Rich, and an ass. He is practically invisible to his father, and so acts out almost constantly. He treats people poorly, and has pushed away everyone he cares for. Singer.**


	4. Nate Meets A Girl

**Disclaimer: I do not own WOWP or any of the characters. I do not own Camp Rock or any of the characters.**

**Author's Note: So, I was thinking, 'Oh hey, maybe since I have done three chapters really fast, I will just wait a while for people to see the story and start reading it and review and such'. But then, I got one review, and it was pretty much the most awesome review I have ever gotten. Plus, I just have so much muse for this story right now that I was like BAM! I will just put another one up. Haha. Anyways, let me know what you think of the story. I will most likely end up putting another chapter up tonight. Because I am all crazy writer like that. Haha. Enjoy!**

Nate and Jason stood in their new room. Normally, Jason and Shane would have shared, being the two oldest. The school tried to match roommates around the same age. The brothers were allowed to stay together simply because they were brothers, and mighty important brothers at that. But this year, Shane had requested that he get the room away from his brothers. It was a little sad for Nate to think about how his brother was drifting away from him, but he knew that in time, Shane would come back. The three were still inseparable, just distant. The room had already been set up for them, but they brought in their bags of clothes and such.

Nate instantly began unpacking. That was just the kind of guy he was. He liked to get what needed to be done, done. Not to mention, he liked having a clean room with everything put away. He heard Jason let out a laugh, and then was grabbed by the arm as Jason started to drag him out of the room. "Come on Nate, we can unpack later. Let's go meet Shane's roommate, and then go do something. We've been in a car all day for crying out loud. Enjoy yourself."

"It was a limo Jason, not exactly restricting. Plus, I need to get my stuff put away. I might have other things to do later," Nate said in protest, though he knew his brother would win the argument and allowed himself to be dragged out.

"You have stuff to do now, Nate," Jason said simply and then, they were walking into the door that led to Shane's room. They didn't knock, after all, he was their brother. The second they opened the door, the sound hit them. Some sort of rock music was blaring at an awful volume. Shane was digging through his bags, his head nodding along to the beat. The other boy was strewn across his bed, playing air drums to the sound. Well, Nate thought to himself, at least they both like music. But even with that thought, he walked across to the desk where the speakers were, and shut off the music.

"Hey!" Shane protested when he noticed Nate standing there.

The other boy jumped up from the bed with a grin and walked over to where Nate was standing with Jason. "Hey," he said in a friendly voice, "I'm Justin. You must be Shane's brothers, Nate and Jason, right?"

Nate nodded with a smile. "I see you like that loud music of Shane's?"

"Oh of course, TOB is the best."

Nate rolled his eyes slightly and let out a laugh. It sounded just like Shane. That was good. Maybe Shane would make a friend. He knew that his brother really needed one right now, and he sure wasn't letting his brothers be that for him. "You new here?" he asked Justin.

"Yeah," Justin said with another wide grin, "it's my first year here. This place is amazing though. Did you know that 97% of students go on to ivy league schools? So much better than the normal public high school from back home."

Nate liked the guy already. It was about time someone around here cared about academics. It might only be Nate's second focus, after politics, but it was of course, very important. Nate always maintained a GPA over 4.0, and took extra night classes just so he could cover all his bases. "Yeah, just seeing Hanover on a college application is almost enough to get you accepted. It is a definite up side of being here. Though, of course, I don't plan on just the name of my school getting me in."

"Oh, me either," Justin said, a serious look crossing his face, "getting into a good school is too important to risk that. That is why I've got a 4.0, and plan on keeping it. Plus, I got to look into extracurricular and such. Any suggestions?"

But just then, Jason and Shane let out a groan at the same time. Justin looked at them questioningly. "No offence Justin. It's just, we have to listen to Nate go on and on about classes, and GPA's and extracurriculars nonstop," Jason said with a roll of his eyes. "How about we just give you a tour?"

"Sure," Justin said. Nate was happy enough to go along with the other three. He had missed this school and the beautiful campus. It would give him a chance to take it all in again.

The three brothers set out showing Justin around the school. They showed him all the sports fields, and the different dorm buildings, teachers' houses, and actual buildings with class rooms. Then, they took him to the look out. That is what everyone called it. The whole school sat up higher than the rest of the city and country around it, and on one side, there was a cliff like drop off from which you could see city, houses, and country side alike. It was the most breath taking sight that Nate had ever seen. The other three boys left, but he stayed there a moment more.

Finally, with a sigh, he began backing away from the beautiful sight. Unfortunately backing away while not taking his eyes off of the sight, also meant he couldn't see where he was going, and he ran right into someone. He quickly spun, "I'm so sorry," he said quickly. The girl was on the ground picking up her scattered items, he couldn't see her face as her dark hair had fallen in front of it. She mumbled something that he couldn't quite hear. He knelt down to help her pick up her things, and noticed that it was a bunch of half finished sketches, as well as a canvas and some paints. The sketches were some of the best he had ever seen. She was still gathering the papers around him, but he had stopped to just look at the works of art he held in his hand. "Did you draw these?" he asked softly, completely in awe.

"What's it to yo-" the girl started in a rude tone, but she looked up and met his eyes and stopped what she was saying. She had deep brown eyes to go with her dark hair, and pretty features. "Yeah. They are mine." The words were nicer than the one's she had said before, but the tone was just as harsh. She had finished gathering the rest of her stuff, and he stood, and then offered a hand to help her up. She took it and then brushed herself off. Nate noticed the way she was dressed. He liked it. It was different. A smile crept onto his face. He handed her the rest of her things.

"I'm Nate," he said as an introduction.

"Well Nate," she said, offering no introduction of herself, "if you are quite done running into me and making a mess of everything. I was on my way to paint."

Nate stood in shock. He didn't want her to leave before he even knew her name. But she did. And right then a hand landed on his shoulder. "Dude, where did you disappear to?" It was Justin.

"Sorry man. I just… I ran into a girl." He said, indicating the direction where the girl was now at the drop off, setting up her things to paint.

"Oh. You met my sister?" Justin asked, seeing the girl. He let out a laugh. "I'm amazed you came through it alive."

"Well, barely alive anyways," Nate said with a chuckle. The girl certainly had spirit. "She's your sister?"

"Yeah," Justin said. "Well man, we were going to go grab some lunch. I am sure after all that bitterness you must be hungry." He let out a laugh.

Nate looked in the direction of the girl a moment longer, before nodding and following Justin to where his brothers were waiting. "Hey Justin?" he asked, pulling the other boy a little farther behind the two they were walking with.

"Yeah man?"

"What's your sister's name?"

"Alex," Justin answered, before turning back to the conversation with Jason and Shane.

"Alex," Nate repeated softly under his breath, and a small smile made its way onto his face.


	5. Mitchie Makes Friends

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. So sad.**

**Author's note: I will say the same thing I had to put on Laughing While I Sing. I have no excuse for my lack of updating except writers block. I am trying to fight through it. Sorry if this chapter isn't up to par.**

Okay, so maybe Mitchie had used her cousin to get the three cute boys he was with to come sit with them as well. Was that so bad? No, she decided, no it was not. After all, a girl's got to make connections in a place like this. It was only a bonus that they were good looking, and the sons of a duke. Okay, so she had memorized all the most important kids that went here so she knew who she needed to impress. Was that so wrong? No, no it wasn't. She simply wrote it off to self preservation. And due to her impressive planning and memorizing, she was now at a lunch table with four of the most important kids in this school. Plus, they even seemed to really like her. Mitchie wondered idly how that happened. At her old school, no matter how hard she tried to fit in, she never seemed to manage it. She had been the friendless loser, and for all intents and purposes, invisible.

The three brothers had sad on one side of the table, leaving Justin to sit next to Miley, who had managed to edge as close to him as possible. She was telling stories from her summer vacation, and everyone at the table was laughing along, eyes glued to her. She could command a presence. Mitchie wished she could do that. She wished people paid attention to her that way. Justin looked a bit clueless and nervous, as Miley shot him flirty eyes and playfully touched his arm. She would win him over no sweat. She had such confidence. Mitchie wished she had that sort of confidence. She wished she could make a boy nervous like that. Hell, she just plain wished she was Miley. The girl was stunning, tall but not too tall, skinny as anything, dressed to perfection, had light brown hair in perfect curls all the way down her back, and charismatic blue eyes. Mitchie wondered if it was actually possible to turn green with envy, if it was, she was probably doing it right now.

"So, Mitchie, what's your story?" The middle brother, Shane's, voice pulled her out of her thoughts. She looked over to see him give her a look that seemed to be measuring her up. She sunk a little lower in her chair. She knew she wouldn't equal up to his standards for girls, or people in general.

"I, uhhh, my family recently came into some money. And well, they sent me here." The bubbly tone that she had managed to keep in her voice all day had faded a bit, and she found herself becoming shy. One of the cutest guys she had ever seen had just asked her a question. He was interested in her when a girl like Miley was at the table.

"So where are you from?"

"Los Angeles." Mitchie mumbled.

A spark seemed to light in Shane's eyes. "Los Angeles, huh? I've always wanted to go there. What's it like?"

And just like that, the bubbly tone returned to Mitchie's voice. She got the same wide smile, and she eagerly began to describe LA, answering all of Shane's questions. And for a small moment, her real self shone through in her love for her home town.

"Hey guys, let's go back to the look out to talk. This place is getting a bit crowded." Nate said, changing the conversation and looking eagerly at the door.

Mitchie was not only having the best day of her life, it was probably the best week of her life. Last year, she had been attending an over populated public high school in California, and living soundly in the lower middle class category. Then, her family came into some money, a lot of money. And now, she was at the top preparatory academy in the world, dressed in clothes that cost more than her old car used to, and sitting in the grass of the look out talking and laughing with a princess whom she was also sharing a bathroom with, the three sons of the duke of Bedford who were rather cute, and her cousin (she loved him and all, but he sort of paled in comparison to the others, then again, she probably did too).


End file.
